Kiggelaria africana is not related to the fruit-producing Peach tree, but the leaves are superficially similar but are thicker, stiffer, and have a thin coating of fur on the undersides.

Fruit type

Fruit colour

Green

Seed colour

Black

Orange

Seed info

The hard, round, knobbly, greenish yellow capsule which forms in February to July (late summer to mid-winter) splits to expose shiny black seeds, enclosed in an oily, sticky, bright orange-red coat.

Description

A well-shaped and reasonably robust, the low-branching, evergreen tree.
It bears tiny yellow-green flowers from August to January, which then form knobbly, greenish yellow capsule.

Growing

Propagate it from seed or cuttings-set out young plants when 30 cm tall to prevent them from becoming pot bound. With good conditions, young plants grow fast and flower when two years old.

Has a non-aggressive root system.

It has a natural tendency to branch from low down-prune away the lower branches early on if you want a tree shape.

Reasonably frost-hardy, it likes a moderate amount of water, and a place in the sun. Always add plenty of compost to the soil when planting, and apply a thick mulch layer (organic material, e.g. dried leaves) to protect the surface of the soil. This tree grows in both summer and winter rainfall areas. It tolerates temperatures ranging from about - 2°C to 36°C.

Distribution

Kiggelaria africana is found in coastal and inland forests (where it can reach 20 m), in bushveld and woodland, along streams and on rocky hillsides-'koppies'. It is widely distributed in Africa, from Kenya in the north to Western Cape in the south.

History

It is named after Franz Kiggelaer, Curator of Simon van Beaumont's garden. The Latin word, africana means 'comes from Africa'.

Uses

It makes an excellent screen, forms an effective windbreak.

The hardish, pink-brown wood is a useful general purpose timber (beams, floorboards, furniture). It was once used for the spokes of wagon wheels.

Some people believe that touching this tree will attract lightning. But, the South Sotho prepare a medicine from it to protect their kraals.

Ecology

The caterpillars of a number of butterfly species sometimes eat the tree bare, but this is part of a natural process, adding insect eating bird visitors, and the trees rapidly regrow their foliage.